


Silent Night

by Skywinder



Series: Missing Piece AU [8]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Christmas, Gen, Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-02 13:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2813465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skywinder/pseuds/Skywinder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After overhearing a chance comment from one of the humans, Skyfire and the other scientists learn about Christmas from Starscream.  After which, Skyfire asks a question of his mate.  The answer he receives is an unexpected one.</p><p>Post-Missing Piece fic</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silent Night

**Author's Note:**

> After a couple of years, I decided to try another Christmas story, set in my Missing Piece AU this time. Since this is sent several months in the future, there will be some mild spoilers, such as Skyfire's being awake, along a couple of smaller spoilers, but no major ones.
> 
> To those who celebrate Christmas or any other of the holidays that fall during this month, I wish you all a very Happy Holiday, whatever one it is. To those who do not celebrate any holiday during this month, I wish you the very best of the season.
> 
> All that said, here is my Christmas Eve offering and last fic of the year. I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

_"Tonight's the night the world begins again."_ \- Goo Goo Dolls, _Better Days_

 _“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”_ ― Calvin Coolidge

* * *

"I'm sorry, Spike, but that is impossible."

These were the words that greeted Starscream and Skyfire as they walked into the labs where the red mech and Wheeljack worked. Both looked at each other, puzzled, then as their gazes drifted back into the room, they saw Spike and Sparkplug Witwicky standing on Wheeljack's table, the elder human looking slightly amused, while the youngling seemed to have an affronted look on his face. Wheeljack was sitting on a nearby bench, his head cocked in a confused manner, while Perceptor just gazed down at the boy with a very skeptical look on his face.

Skyfire cleared his intakes, gaining the attention of the others in the room. "Excuse me," he began, once all eyes and optics were on him. "What exactly is impossible, Perceptor?"

Perceptor, shaking his head, replied to the other mech. "Spike here is trying to tell us that a child can be born without the aid of two Creators. Now, I know that there are those organic races that reproduce asexually, but human beings do not fall into that category. I have done enough research on them in my brief time on this world to know..."

The microscope mech was suddenly cut off by the sound of Starscream bursting into laughter. Sparkplug, too, seemed to be half-bent over with his own barely stifled laughter. "Excuse me," the scientist said stiffly, "but I do not see what is so amusing."

Skyfire, who had felt a sense of realization and then amusement filter through the bond just before the laughter, also was confused. "Starscream, what exactly is so funny? I mean Perceptor _does_ have a point about the humans."

Starscream just shook his head at Skyfire as he grabbed onto the table carefully, mindful of the humans there, and continued laughing for another full minute. Finally, he was able to bring it under control and looked up at the three mechs in the room with a wide grin. He shook his head. "Only you, Perceptor. Only you would take something like this so slagging seriously."

Wheeljack finally spoke up now. "Have to admit, I'm kind of curious about what's so funny about what Perceptor said, too, Starscream," he said.

Starscream nodded, then looked over at Spike and Sparkplug. Spike still seemed put out, but Sparkplug was now wearing a grin to match Starscream's own. Glancing away from the two for just a moment, he looked between Wheeljack and Perceptor before beginning, "I think you both sometimes forget just how long I've been here, and that I wasn't in stasis at all during that time." Looking back at the two humans, he focused his next words towards Sparkplug. "Let me guess. Spike was trying to explain human holidays again?"

Sparkplug nodded. "Yep. Trying to explain Christmas this time." The older human shook his head in amusement. "I've heard people who don't believe in or celebrate the holiday express disbelief before, but never quite how Perceptor did. Anyway, we came to visit Wheeljack, and a few minutes ago, Spike asked them if your people celebrated Christmas." He chuckled. "It kind of went downhill from there."

Starscream wasn't surprised. While Sparkplug seemed to keep in mind that most of the Cybertronians were still new to this world and its customs, Spike tended to forget sometimes. Starscream suspected it had a lot to do with a typical youngling's mindset. But that was speculation for another time. "I see." Still grinning, he turned his gaze towards Spike. "No, Spike, Cybertronians do not and have never celebrated Christmas or any kind of rebirth holiday like the one you were telling Perceptor and Wheeljack about. While we have any number of legends involving our chief deity, none involve him being born into the body of a mortal child."

Spike seemed a little appeased by Starscream's words, though there was still some annoyance in his voice when he replied, "Okay, but he didn't have to say it like he did."

Starscream answered gently, "Perceptor tends to look at things logically, Spike. I'm sure he didn't intend to hurt your feelings."

He held his hand out now. "Why don't you two go talk to Optimus Prime about this holiday? I'm sure he'd be very interested in learning about another aspect of human culture."

Sparkplug nodded, seeming to understand what Starscream was doing. "I think that's a good idea. Come on, Spike."

Spike looked like he was going to argue for a moment, but a look from his father stopped him. "Okay, Dad."

Both climbed onto Starscream's hand and he put them on the floor.

All were silent as they watched the humans leave the room. A minute after the humans had gone, Perceptor finally spoke up again. "Starscream, you can't tell me you believe in that nonsense that Spike was talking about. You know as well as I that it is impossible for such a thing to happen. Not to mention you aren't overly religious yourself."

Starscream looked at Perceptor, humor fading from his face. "It doesn't matter what I do or don't believe, Perceptor," he said seriously. "Christmas is one of the more important religious holidays to some humans. While there are many others which are celebrated during this month in other parts of this world, Christmas happens to be the predominant one in this country-state. Making light of it, or any of their other religious holidays for that matter, will not go over well with your allies."

Skyfire spoke up now. "What exactly does this holiday involve?"

Starscream sent a small smile in his mate's direction. "Christmas is a celebration of the religious group referred to as Christians. It celebrates the night where their deity they refer to as God, something similar to our Primus, was reborn in the form of a mortal sparkling. As I understood the legend, he was carried by a human female and was formed from a spirit." He now shot a look at the other two scientists. "And it is taken very seriously by those that celebrate it. While it might seem impossible to you or I, not to mention those humans who don't believe in that deity, it isn't to those that do."

Wheeljack nodded. "I see. It really does seem a bit strange, though."

Starscream didn't disagree. "True. But it is something that matters to that group very much, Jack." He paused for a moment. "However, while it did begin as a religious celebration, the holiday has evolved somewhat over their centuries. There are as many secular aspects involved now in the holiday as there are religious. The religious songs have gone through a number of variations, and there are many non-religious songs relating to the holiday now. Not to mention the St. Nicholas legend, and the Christmas tree..."

The other scientists now exchanged a bemused look, then Wheeljack said curiously, his headfins flashing yellow, "I don't suppose you can tell us what you've learned, could you?"

Starscream grinned again, and sat down on a bench across from Wheeljack, Skyfire and Perceptor both also taking seats of their own. After Wheeljack keyed the door shut, Starscream said, with humor in his voice again, "Just what do you want to know?"

* * *

"You've been quiet ever since we got back. What's wrong?"

Skyfire looked up from the datapad he'd borrowed from Wheeljack to to see his mate leaning against the doorframe of the lab, a concerned expression on his face. With a soft huff of air, he looked back down at the datapad, then set it on the table. For a moment, he didn't reply to Starscream's words.

After Starscream had asked them that question in the _Ark_ labs, both Wheeljack and Perceptor had had any number of questions relating to the various legends and aspects as related to Christmas. Wheeljack had been particularly intrigued by the mistletoe one, for some reason, an amused look in his optics as he glanced towards Percy. Perceptor, for his own part, had been not really been impressed by most of it, and Skyfire suspected he'd only learned in order not to make another misstep in regards to human culture. That, and the mech had always thirsted for knowledge of any kind.

Skyfire, though, wasn't certain what to think. Like Perceptor, he felt such a thing was impossible, though Wheeljack had seemed to regard it as more odd than impossible. Starscream, strangely enough (given his beliefs had once been so similar to the shuttle's own), seemed to be neutral on the subject. He'd felt no traces of either belief or disbelief coming through the bond at any point during the time his mate had spoken of the holiday.

When the two of them had finally returned to the ship where they lived, Skyfire had just taken himself to the lab that Starscream had set up, sat down at the table, and started reading the datapads that they'd originally gone to borrow from Wheeljack. But he found himself unable to focus on them. The words words that Starscream had spoken earlier just kept ringing through his processor.

Finally, he looked back at his mate, unable to keep silent any longer. "Do you really believe that legend, Starscream? And don't give me that 'it doesn't matter' line," he said, a little more harshly than he intended, as he saw Starscream start to open his mouth in reply. "I think it _does_ matter to you somehow, since you defended the humans' beliefs. What I want to know is if you do believe in it, and why? After all that's happened to you and I, I'd think we both have more than just a little right to curse Primus. I know you were no more religious than I was, even if we did both go to temple as younglings. We were only going to have the official ceremony so our family units wouldn't object any more than they already had. So tell me, what is so important about this holiday?"

Starscream, who had initially been startled by the outburst, now gave his Conjunx a very long look, his optics and face unreadable. Finally, he replied softly, "Come with me, Skyfire." He pushed himself off the doorframe, turned and began heading towards the entrance of the ship.

Skyfire was more than a little annoyed by Starscream's apparent ignoring of his question. "Starscream..."

Starscream now whirled to face him, and Skyfire suddenly felt a mixture of emotions: hurt, determination, sadness...all pouring through the bond. "Come with me, Skyfire," he repeated firmly, in a sharper voice, and there was a look in the other's optics now that Skyfire couldn't ignore.

He just nodded, and the two headed out of the ship into the early twilight.

* * *

"So where are we?" Skyfire asked as they landed and transformed. Starscream seemed to have led him to a town in a small valley. Just outside that town, there was a large tree similar to the ones Starscream had described earlier, with a number of people gathered around it, and a very strange looking item at the top.

Starscream sat down on the hill they'd landed on, then reached up for Skyfire's hand. "Just wait a moment, Sky," he whispered softly. "The sun is nearly down, so you'll see in a moment."

Skyfire just gave a look of puzzlement at Starscream as he too sat down, and let his confusion leak through the bond. _See what?_ Starscream just gave a small smile, then squeezed Skyfire's hand. "You'll see," he repeated, still softly.

Before Skyfire could ask any more questions, a flash of light caught his optics as the sky became dark. He turned back and just stared, his optics going wide.

The apparently plain tree was now lit up in a blaze of white and colored lights. At the top, Skyfire could now see the item somewhat clearer as it and the other metal on the tree reflected the lights. It looked like a star, or at least the way the humans drew it. But now, the way the tree looked...Something about that glow made it seem almost ethereal. Skyfire couldn't recall seeing anything like that before, not even on Cybertron. He couldn't even remember Altihex's towers glowing in such a way.

Then, he heard a sound coming from the location of the tree. It sounded like...singing, he realized after a moment.

_"Silent Night, Holy Night!_  
_All is calm, all is bright,_  
_Round yon virgin, mother and child!_  
_Holy infant, so tender and mild,_  
_Sleep in heavenly peace,_  
_Sleep in heavenly peace."_  


Skyfire sat entranced as he listened. In a way, the lyrics of the song seemed haunting.

For several minutes, the two said nothing, just simply listened to the music as it shifted from one beautiful melody to another, and for a brief time everything Skyfire had been through in the short time since he awakened just melted away. Finding out there was a civil war and Cybertron was dead, Lunarion's deception and betrayal and the break with him, learning his home was gone and his kin were dead or scattered...All of this was forgotten in the atmosphere created by the appearance of the tree and the singing. Skyfire just stared and listened, and as he did, he thought he felt something right there with them. He wasn't sure what that something was, but it seemed...comforting somehow.

He felt the pressure tighten around his hand, and looked at his mate. Starscream had gripped Skyfire's hand tightly and was staring at that tree as well, a pained expression on his face, and his optics sadder than Skyfire could ever remember seeing. Finally, he spoke, never taking his optics from the tree as he did. "You feel it, too?" he whispered.

Skyfire looked back at the tree and let the music wrap around him. "Yes," he replied, just as softly.

"It reminds me of how Vos looked, when I flew over it at night with my clan, Creators and siblings as a youngling," Starscream went on. "We would do this during the Lights celebration every vorn before I left Vos for Crystal City." Now he shifted his gaze to Skyfire. "You asked me if I believed in Primus and why. Whether I believe in him or not, I don't know. All I _do_ know is that the first time I discovered this place and witnessed this scene, I felt a bit less alone. Every time since then, when I saw a similar image, first here and then later on the newsfeeds when I couldn't leave the ship anymore, I always got the same feeling. Even with all the memories it brings up when I watch, the sight has always brought me a small sense of peace. Something I had such a hard time finding for a very long time. Now do you understand why I defended their holiday?"

Skyfire...thought he could. He gave a small nod. "I do," he whispered. Here under the stars, with that light and that singing, he really did believe he could understand what Starscream saw in this particular holiday. He squeezed his mate's hand in return, and looked down at him with a small smile.

"I do understand," he repeated softly. Starscream smiled back at him with very bright optics.

Up from the valley, as both mechs continued to watch, another song drifted towards them.

_"And in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light_  
_The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight."_  


"Merry Christmas, Skyfire."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Starscream."


End file.
